Tag Archives: sewcalgal

Free Motion Quilt Challenge – July

Posted on July 29, 2012 | 13 comments

The July Free Motion Quilt Challenge at SewCalGal is a tutorial from the very talented Angela Walters.   Angela is a professional quilter and successful long arm quilter, as well as teacher and author.  She loves modern quilts and quilting.  Check out her website, Quilting Is My Therapy, for her wonderful books, blogs and tips!

Angela taught how to section off the work and then fill in the sections.  She calls this quilting design Tiles.

Now, I can stipple, pebble and meander, but straight line quilting, without a guide, and swirls are the bane of my free motion existence.  Angela didn’t say I had to practice swirls, but I need to. 

So I drew my tiles and swirls on paper.  I did not take a photo.  You don’t want to see it.  Really, you don’t.  I don’t either.

My fabric sample isn’t much better, but I am starting to relax and feel more confident with the swirls.  Not so much straight lines.

I like the tiling, and its possibilities, so I will keep practicing, and one day, I just might be passably good at it.

Thank you Angela!

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Free Motion Quilt Challenge – June

Posted on June 29, 2012 | 30 comments

The June Free Motion Quilting Challenge at SewCalGal is a tutorial by Cindy Needham.  Cindy is a talented and professional quilter who travels all over the world.  She is also an author, a designer, and hostess of retreats.  Be sure to visit her website to see her fabulous quilts!

Cindy gave us so much useful information and lots of practice!  I loved this month!  Cindy suggested the ‘divide and conquer’ method.  In other words, divide the work into sections and then fill in the sections.  Instead of an entire blank canvas (or fat quarter, as in my case) to fill, I could simply concentrate on a section at a time.  Baby steps.

Here’s my piece:

Cindy suggested using a contrasting thread.  Obviously, I didn’t pay any attention to that.  Don’t be like me. 

The only time I changed threads was when the spool I was using ran out.  Yup…I was using up thread, and I emptied three spools.

Do you see the Jester hat in the quilting above?  Wendy, over at Ivory Spring,  does it much, much better!  She has a tutorial on how to quilt the Jester hat.  I need more practice!  I was confused frequently while trying to change directions.

More close-ups:

Thank you so much Cindy!

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Free Motion Quilt Challenge – May

Posted on May 28, 2012 | 15 comments

I am participating in the 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge over at SewCalGal.  This month’s free motion quilt expert is the lovely Leah Day, whose blog is the home of the 365 Day Free Motion Quilt Project.  Leah is a fabulous inspiration, both as a quilter, and as a generous fellow human being. 

Leah gave two assignments…a Double Stipple and Railroad Tracks.  Here are my practice pieces.

Yes…I broke the ‘rule’.  You know, the one about using the same thread for the front and the back.  I admit it…I rarely use the same thread in both.  Please don’t tell the quilt police!

And I find that I have trouble creating a large stipple.  There is just something in my brain that won’t tell my hands to create wider spaces.  I did try.  I need to work on that.

Apparently, I don’t do angles either.  These are funny lookin’ tracks for sure.  A bit more practice and I might even like this.  I think the problem, for me, is that straight lines take more concentration.  I don’t want to think too much.

Leah does them both much, much better!

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